Krissy H. Snyder
Founder and Executive Director
Krissy initially launched the idea of Wildflower Cottage for Children after spending over 16 years directing at another program. During that time, she expanded the…
Jordan Savage
Assistant Director & Mentor Teacher
Jordan’s work centers on his belief that young children and adults are remarkably similar to each other. They both get swept away by the magic…
Lily Villeda
Preschool Lead Teacher
Lily was born and raised in Honduras. At the age of 16, she moved to Durham with her mother. Lily provided care to two much…
Lauren Mallari
Preschool Classroom Teacher
Lauren has lived in Hawaii, the Philippines, California, and now North Carolina! She is the oldest of four siblings and has spent a large portion…
Andrew Reckard
Preschool Classroom Teacher
Andrew found his way to Wildflower after a decade of teaching middle school in various school districts. He is excited to exchange test scores and…
Aisa Abraham
Middler Lead Teacher
Aisa grew up in our nation’s capital — Washington, D.C.! She graduated from Dunbar High School and has been consistently continuing her education ever since….
Gaia Rossi
Middler Classroom Teacher
Gaia grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Vernon, NJ. This region yielded Gaia with professional opportunities in farming, lifeguarding, parkour, and coaching (in snowboarding,…
Rania Aljazzar
Middler Classroom Teacher
Rania grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Cairo, Egypt. Living in three different countries has been formative to Rania. She believes that…
Destanee Bartelmey
Toddler Lead Teacher
Destanee was born in Wisconsin but grew up around Hillsborough, NC. She completed an A.A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from Durham Technical Community College…
Shelby Baker
Toddler Classroom Teacher
Shelby’s hometown is Hillsborough, NC. She has always loved learning! She graduated from high school with honors, immediately pursued an AAS degree in Early Childhood…
Caroline Ormond
Toddler Classroom Teacher
Caroline grew up in Charlotte, NC. Although she also lived in Colorado and Florida, she has found her way back home to North Carolina. …
Shruthi Kadiyala
Toddler Apprentice Teacher
Shruthi was born in India and grew up in 6 different cities across 3 countries. This diverse experience has enriched her outlook and enhanced her…
Jacki Wilkie
Floating Support Teacher
Jacki grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and moved to North Carolina in 2017. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and has combined…
Audrey Keen
Floating Support Teacher
Audrey is from Huntersville, NC. She graduated from NC State University with a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. She worked with a zoo,…
Chantel Warman
Floating Afternoon Support Teacher
Chantel joined the Wildflower Cottage team in November 2023 with nearly a decade of prior preschool teaching experience. She also has extensive experience teaching older…
Viola Bestmann
Floating Mentor Teacher & Mindfulness Instructor
With over three decades of experience in early childhood education, Viola is a seasoned professional in teaching and nurturing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Her expertise…
Barbra Laird
Music Instructor
Barbra is happiest when she is enjoying activities with her husband and three sons. But, running a close second is sitting on the floor with…
William Harris
Evening Custodian & Caretaker
William was born in the Philippines but raised in Durham. He graduated from Jordan High School and served in the Navy, aboard the USS Thomas S. Gates. …
Megan Mauriello
Sometimes Teacher
Megan grew up in the Chapel Hill/Hillsborough area. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve playing with friends in the nearby creek, creating art or…
Alisa Hayes
Sometimes Teacher
Alisa was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. She graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Health Services and…
Kirsten Bohl
Sometimes Teacher
Kirsten joined Wildflower Cottage in 2023. She was seeking a community-based setting in which to learn and grow alongside young children-and, by golly-she found it!…
Barbara Zimmerman
Sometimes Teacher
Barbara had a fantastic childhood in Person County, NC. Her favorite memories include wild blackberries, plentiful honeysuckle, hide-and-seek in cornfields, fishing in ponds, rock-jumping across…
Board of Directors
In order to provide a lasting, community-based school for generations to come, Wildflower Cottage for Children, Inc. is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. The non-profit status helps us to remain transparent to all stakeholders—parents, teachers, and charitable donors. All can rest assured that funding goes directly toward supporting the program, staff compensation, and our children's education.
Our founding Board of Directors is comprised of local, professional men and women. Each brings a unique perspective and experience to their role: business management, finances, accounting, law, human resources, education, health care, occupational safety, insurance, advertisement, education, real estate, grant-writing, counseling, etc.
